


Shipwrecks

by Onlylookatcub



Category: TWICE (Band)
Genre: Best Friends, Closeted Character, Divorce, Emotional Constipation, Estrangement, F/F, F/M, Fluff and Angst, Gen, Light Angst, Past Relationship(s), Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-18
Updated: 2021-01-23
Packaged: 2021-03-08 00:46:40
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 20,746
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26506918
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Onlylookatcub/pseuds/Onlylookatcub
Summary: A canceled court battle for her only child's custody encouraged recently divorced Minatozaki Sana to move back to Japan. Instead of going back to her hometown, she decides it is best for her child to grow up in the unassuming city of Kyoto. There, she encounters her estranged best friend Hirai Momo.Penniless and without a degree, damaged good Sana (as some people call her) faces the harsh reality of becoming a single parent.
Relationships: Hirai Momo/Minatozaki Sana
Comments: 18
Kudos: 81





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hello everyone! Please enjoy!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello everyone, this is my second story. I hope you guys like it and I hope you guys watch out for my updates!

It’s been years since Minatozaki Sana last visited Japan. Well, the appropriate term would be 'return'. People close to her heart haven’t really heard anything much from her. The last time she stepped on Japanese soil? She can’t really remember, it’s probably because she didn’t really care anymore. All she wants is to have a fresh new start with her son. Sana knew the moment she signed those papers that she’s got to come up with the best solution in order for her son to live normally, or, at least peacefully.

_Japan._

It’s been a long time but Japan was the first thing that Sana had thought of when the divorce was finalized. She wanted to go home. She wanted her son to grow up in Japan. Everything was a blur for Sana, how many years have been? It was difficult trying to keep up with time. Many years. She labels it like that. Simple, all the time she’s wasted away? She’ll just forget about it. It’s time to move forward. This isn’t only for her anyway.

_Change._

Sana Minatozaki grew up and lived in Japan her whole life, but, she thought it was mind-boggling how much things have changed. The moment they landed at Itami airport, she felt like she was in another country. Sure, she heard some Japanese dialect so everything was fine. She understood a little, the dialect wasn’t the problem. The structure and the sudden change in architectural appearance was her problem.

“Mom, are we there yet?” her son looked up, his eyes tired from all the traveling that’s been happening. Sana smiled, reaching down to her son and pulling him close to her.

“Just a little bit more, okay?” she smiles at the child, she’s heard they’re all wonderful at this age. She’s heard from mothers at her son’s past pre-school that once they start hitting puberty everything just starts becoming like a shit show. “We’re still a little far away from our destination but I’m sure you’re patient, right?” She wishes her son wouldn’t act up, but kids tend to whine all the time. Kids will be kids after all.

“I want ice cream.” The Child says this softly. Sana had to look at her child once more, she wasn’t sure if they could buy such things at Kyoto’s gift shop. “Chocolate ice cream. Will you buy me chocolate ice cream, mom?” the child repeats himself.

* * *

It didn’t take long for the mother and son to reach their Destination; Kyoto. Kyoto isn’t as busy as Tokyo but still, people go in and out of the City. When they both arrived at the City’s gift shop, which is basically a semi-busy street filled with shops, Sana felt this uneasy feeling grow inside her, she’s never really been to Kyoto before. She then starts questioning her decision. 

“Eomma, can I go check if one of the shops sells ice cream?” the child asks, almost nonchalantly too. Sana, due to the unfamiliarity of the CIty, becomes a tad bit disoriented. With a bit of luggage in her hand, she looks from left to right and stares into the long winding street filled with stores. 

“Okay, five minutes. You have five minutes." Huffs Sana, at this point she's exhausted too. She'd do anything to keep her child pacified, not that he was starting to act up or anything. Just a preventive measure, as she sees it. 

* * *

The long street of Kyoto gift shop stretched out as far as it could. For a five-year-old, the road is so much bigger and longer. Because of that, getting lost is very likely. Geon walked the street without regard because in his five-year-old mind he thought his mother would come looking for him no matter what.   
  
Five minutes passed by quickly, five minutes is enough to get a foreign child lost. At this point, little Geon is without ice-cream and the worst thing is he also doesn't have his mother with him. The busy street was starting to get crowded and for a five-year-old child, this is a stressful situation. Geon knew little Nihongo, he's always heard his mother sneakily teach him some words while they were living in South Korea. 

"Excuse me, auntie." The child slowly walked towards the friendliest looking woman he could find near him. The woman seemed a little confused but offered her time, who could turn away such a cute child anyway?

"Is there a problem?" The woman asked, immediately she knew the child was lost. She could tell, from the glazed looked in his eyes, the child's pout, and the broken Nihongo. A foreigner. "Geez kid, do you even know Nihongo?" She chuckled to herself, pretty sure the child didn't understand her. 

"Please help." the child seemed to have become desperate, beads were starting to form in his eyes. "Mommy, help find?" He muttered in mixed Hangul-Nihonggo. The woman was right, the child's a foreigner. Probably a Korean-Japanese, the woman thought. 

"Okay okay, just don't cry and cause a commotion." The woman seemed uninterested, probably not used to interacting with kids. Geon just stared at her, not fully able to grasp what she was saying. In his head, all he understood was 'no commotion'. Geon is a soft child. Naturally sensitive, he hates hearing harsh tones and shouting. This woman is the total opposite of her mother, it was safe to say he was afraid. 

"What up with you?" The woman looked at the child, she was frowning. She's supposed to be at work, now she's running late because of some foreign child. She couldn't help it, she can't hide her emotions well. "Wait, are you seriously crying?" She's flustered, unsure of what to do with a crying child. The woman knew so little about child care because she is a big child herself. 

Geon knew what he wanted at the moment, and that is to be with his mother. So what does a child do? Repeatedly cry for their mother. That is the universal call for help of children. 

Everyone was starting to notice how emotional the child is becoming, everyone around them is starting to take notice of the crying child and the rude looking woman. 

"Hey kid, stop crying. You're making me look like an abusive parent. What the hell." The woman whispered, she knew the child didn't understand her so what's the point. Geon's tears just kept flowing, asking for help from this strange woman was a bad idea he thinks. 

"Mommy." He muttered, looking at the woman in the eye. What he really wanted to say was 'Please help me find my mom' but he was too frustrated to remember the words his mother has taught him. "Help. Find." He tugs at the woman's hands, the woman's expression softened. 

"Don't worry kid, I won't hurt you." She gave up, what was the point of getting mad at a kid? The woman thought. "Here, have some chocolates. Eat that while we try to find your mother." She mutters in frustration, handing the child some candy from her pocket.

Geon stared at the woman, he wasn't really sure whether he should trust this moody woman.

"Eat it. It's not poisoned." The woman snorts at the child. Geon just stared at her, his lower lip trembling because of fear and confusion.

"Oh god, I sure hope you weren't abandoned. That's some federal offense shit." the woman huffs, making the kid just stare at her blankly. She noticed he's become quiet. "You done crying now?" She asked. Geon nods. "Good. I dislike noisy kids." The woman huffs as she offers her hand for the child to hold during their search for Sana.

"Hold on tight, kid. I'd hate to lose you." The woman chuckles, as they hold hands trying to find the lost child's mother. 

* * *

Sana knew letting her child walk off like that was a bad idea. When the five minutes were up, she started panicking when her son didn't show up. Frantically, she started searching for Geon inside the shops. She knew letting her son walk off like that was a dumb idea but she best believed that everything was going to be fine, she was wrong. 

"It's been an hour, officer. My child knows little Nihongo. Please." she was frantic, trying to explain to the officers description of what her child looks like. 

"So he doesn't know how to speak Japanese but you let him walk off like that?" The police officer attending to her seemed aloof and just overall mean. "Sounds like child abuse to me." he adds. He was chewing gum while typing something in his Computer. Is it a report? Sana doesn't know.

"Look, officer---" sana wanted to try and be reasonable because all parents mess up but the officer cuts her off. 

"Oh sweetheart, I wish I could help you but I can't file a missing person's report unless it has been twenty-four hours since the dissapearance." The officer lazily puts both his feet up his desk and shrugged. "It's protocol, honey. I can't do anything." the officer smiled as if the situation was funny. 

Sana couldn't believe what was coming out of the officer's mouth. All she could do was stare, she knew she is a naturally calm woman but as of the moment, all she was thinking were ways of how to hurt this joke of a police officer. 

"Excuse me?" She knew she was about to throw some hands when the police station's door opened. Everyone's attention is now at the door.

"I'm here to report this child as missing." Says a woman rather cooly. Sana immediately turned around hoping it was her Geon. 

"Eomma!" the child exclaims, running towards his mother, immediately hugging her leg. The moment she saw her child in good condition, she couldn't help but let out a small sigh. Immediately she pulled the child close to her, not wanting to let go. "I thought I lost you." The child cries again, tears falling from his eyes. Sana just hugged her child, the only thing that's important is her child's safety. 

"Geon-ah, I thought I lost you again." She whispered, a sense of relief ran over her. Her child is fine. 

The police station momentarily became quiet because of the reunion, even the woman who has successfully returned the child back to his mother just stared in awe. Not because of happiness but because of shock. 

_Destiny is funny._

"Sana?" The woman calls out to her. "Is that you?" The woman asked. To Sana, the voice is familiar. The voice brings back fond memories. Lifting her head up, it is revealed who's the person who has found her Geon. 

"Momo." was all she could say, bitterness and utter shock enveloped her. Sana couldn't explain why she suddenly felt that way. 

"You guys know each other?" The filthy police officer tries to interrupt the reunion. 

"Used to." Says Sana rather timidly as she picks her son up, carrying him in the process. Geon has finally settled and is currently resting his head on his mother's shoulder, totally unaware of what is currently happening. 

"Fancy meeting you here, Sana." Greets Momo rather coldly. "I see you've managed to get yourself a drool slash snot machine." Says Momo, referring to Geon as the said machine. 

Sana couldn't help but just stare, there she is. Hirai Momo. After all these years she hasn't aged a bit. She hates to admit it but why does it feel like she's back in high school again? 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What do you think?


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please enjoy!

An awkward silence filled Hirai Momo's car. The mother and son duo had just politely walked her to where she had parked her car before her visit to Kyoto's gift shop. As she turned on the vehicle, she can't help but catch a glimpse of the duo. Sana and her young son, Geon. Momo was fine just by calling him kid, the child looked nothing like Sana anyway. 

"What the hell." She huffs to herself, she then starts to roll her window down. Sana's hands were on her son's shoulders, their luggage by there side. "I'll give you guys a ride, taxis are expensive as hell in this region." Momo wanted to roll her eyes but she did her best to seem serious. Geon couldn't help but become confused again, in his head he's questioning why the hell the strange lady is being suddenly nice to them. 

It didn't really take long for the duo to go inside and ride in Momo's car. Sana decided it was best for her and Geon to sit in the back seat, their luggage in the compartment. No one really dared to say anything because the whole thing is such a strange encounter. 

Aside from her fingertips tapping awkwardly on the steering wheel, Momo can't really figure out what to do. 

_Driving carefully._

"I'm sorry my car is so messy, I didn't have the time to clean up." Momo tries to lighten up the mood inside the car, she's trying to look at the duo through the rear-view mirror. Geon currently sleeping in his mother's arms, Sana nodding politely.

"Honestly it's fine." Sana laughs awkwardly. She wanted to say something more but words just failed her. Momo takes her gaze off of the rear-view mirror, she feels like this would take the tension off both of them. 

"So, where should I drive you guys to?" Asks Momo, trying to redirect their conversation. Sana instantly became flustered, unknowingly jolting making her young son wake up from his peaceful nap. "Well, calm down. You don't have to---" Sana cut Momo off.

"I can't quite describe it." Sana sounded frantic, trying to find something inside her bag.

"Well, you don't have to describe it. Just the name. That's all I need." Momo tries to stifle her laughter, she was afraid she'd offend Sana. "Geon-ah, you doing okay over there?" Asks Momo in Korean. The little boy's eyes widened, both in shock and annoyance. 

"Auntie, you can speak Korean? You gave me such a hard time awhile ago, you even made me cry!" Geon exclaims, wanting to throw some invisible punches at Momo. Momo couldn't help but chuckle, she casually catches a glimpse of frustrated Sana trying to search something in her luggage. 

"He definitely didn't get the temper from you." Chuckles Momo, reaching for some chocolates in her compartment. " Here you go, kid. Will that suffice as a peace offering?" Momo chuckles, carefully trying to make the child reach for the chocolates. 

"Suffice?" Geon asks as he shamelessly reaches for the candies. The child had this mischievous look in his face as he gave the side-eye at his mother, hoping she didn't notice Momo giving him sweets. 

"Suffice means enough, Geon-ah." Sana answers her son's question. "Also, that's enough chocolates for today. Give that to mommy." Sana opens her free palm out, demanding the child to surrender the sweets. Disappointed, the child surrenders the candies to his mother. Momo is just listening to the whole thing as she busily drives them. 

"Unfair, aunt Momo gave them to me as a sacrifice." The child huffs in frustration, grumpily sitting and giving his mother the evil eye.

"It's a peace offering, kid. I'm not sacrificing chocolates, they don't bleed." Momo laughs, kids this age don't know anything about vocabulary and often say the funniest shit, thinks Momo. 

"You can eat them tomorrow, honey." Sana assures her child, this makes Geon settle down and turn his attention to the window. Momo steals a glimpse of the duo from the rear-view mirror, she couldn't believe what she's seeing. "Momoring---Ah. Momo, I mean." Coughs Sana, obviously taken aback because of her own words. Momo a little flustered because of what came out of the woman's mouth, she couldn't believe it. Momoring. She always thought the endearment was silly. 

"So, where do you live? Where do I need to drop you guys off?" Momo seemed nonchalant, she spoke without a trace of emotion.

"Are we not bothering you?" Sana's eyes are wide just like a Shiba-inu's. Momo couldn't help but remember the girl she used to call her best friend in High School. High School wasn't even that long ago but to both of the girls, High School was such a distant memory. "I mean, I'm sure you're a busy woman yourself." Sana smiles shyly, trying to get Momo to talk more about her current situation.

"Nope, not as busy as you." Momo chuckles, her eyes trailing to Geon who's currently just staring at the road. "So, where to?" Momo asks.

"Uh, well." Sana smiles shyly. "Do you know where Rakuo Elementary School is?" She chuckles, a hint of embarrassment in her voice echoed inside the car. 

"Yeah, it's right across where I live. Furui complex." Momo nonchalantly replies.

"Furui Complex?" Sana in utter shock had to ask Momo again. "You're kidding, right?" Sana can't help but just ask again. 

"Why would I joke about where I live?" Breathes Momo out, still clueless of what's going on. Sana just had to stare at her estranged best friend, Momo hasn't changed a bit. She's still the girl who can't see through people. Momo is still dense, Sana thinks. 

"Hey, neighbor." Chuckles Sana. 

* * *

The rest of the ride was silent, Geon just slept on his mother's lap. Both Sana and Momo were silent too, sometimes they would catch each other stealing glances through the rear-view mirror, just breaking eye contact without saying anything. 

AWKWARD.

Nothing is more awkward than estranged best friends forced to be together in a room. In all honesty, Geon is the thing that kept both of them glued. 

It didn't take long for the three of them to arrive at their apartment. As Sana's former good friend, Momo helped them with their baggage. Thankfully, even though the Furui complex is known as a run down and shabby place, the owner was kind enough to install a lift for his tenants. Of course, as expected, the lift was a shabby ugly type but they can't really demand much, Sana thought. They'll take what they can get. 

"Mommy, look! The bathroom's got a cockroach!" Chuckles Geon, stomping on the lone cockroach. Sana was terrified, she never thought her child was the type to be so mischievous and brave amidst their current situation. 

"Are you sure that's your kid?" Laughs Momo, she's a little mortified of the cockroach stomping but also thankful because the five-year-old took care of the problem. 

"I ask myself that too." Sana jokingly replies, followed by an awkward silence. "Geon-ah, can you be a good boy and place these in the rooms?" Immediately the boy follows his mother's orders, leaving the two women by themselves. 

"So, I guess I'll leave you guys be now." Momo seemed aloof, without much emotion just looking around their place.

"You should at least join us for dinner, please." Sana tries to insist, hoping Momo would just say yes and give in. Momo is adamant with saying no, shaking her head as if her life depended on it. "Are you sure? I want to thank you for finding Geon. If it weren't---" This time Momo cut Sana off.

"You're welcome, honestly." For the first time today, Momo smiles, wanting to not make Sana feel bad. "I just need to be somewhere right now..." Momo trails off, looking around. 

"Oh wow." was all Sana could say. 

"I live right across your building." Momo points to where her apartment is. "Apartment M-202, alright? If you need anything, knock on my door." She adds, trying to be nicer, Momo already slowly walking away at this point.

"Yeah, I'll keep that in mind." Chuckles Sana.

"I hope you don't knock on my damn door though." Says Momo jokingly, waving her hand as she walked further and further away from the duo's apartment. 

* * *

"How could you move to Kyoto without telling us? We're still your parents, Sana. We expect you'd inform us about things like this." Sana's mother nagged at her, aggressively questioning her about her decision. Sana thought it was good that Geon conked out an hour ago. She doesn't need her child to hear any of this.

"It's not something I planned for a long time, mom. It just happened, please don't take this as a form of retaliation. I'm just doing this because I think this is what's best for him." Even though tension always rise up when they talk, Sana still respects her parents. She's not the type to raise her voice when she's mad.

"You're saying moving to Kyoto isn't planned? A decision based on a whim?" Her father has aged a little. His voice was firm, careful, and commanding.

"Yes, dad." Was all Sana could say, she felt uncomfortable when her father spoke in that voice.

"Well, if that's the case, then why not just move to Osaka. Your mom and I can look for a better apartment for you guys, don't you think it's better for the boy to grow up near his grandparents?" Asks her father.

Sana loved her parents, especially her father. But letting Geon grow up in Osaka? She can't let that happen. She knows the moment her son steps foot in Osaka, things will go downhill for both of them. As a mother, Sana can't let that happen.

"You know dad, I don't really think that's necessary." She Chuckles, trying to redirect the conversation. She doesn't like it when her parents talk about her son, it makes her sick to her stomach.

"He's still our grandchild, Sana. We would appreciate it if we would get the chance to meet him in person." Her mother huffs, to this, Sana feels sorry. But the issue was deeper and bigger than that, she just wishes for things to get better for everyone.

"Look, mom. I'll see what I can do, alright? But I promise you guys, you'll see him." But not now, Sana thinks.

"Alright, that was a good talk." Her mother sarcastically walks off, she's out of the camera now. Her dad was the only person there smiling at his daughter sympathetically.

"Don't look at me like that, please." Sana smiles, doing her best not to feel bad because of her decision.

"I've got to go, honey." her father smiles at her. "Hey, look at the bright side. You're a Minatozaki again, that asshole's surname sucked ass anyway." Her father tries his best to lighten up the mood, he's successful though. Both of them exploded in fits of laughter.

"Thanks, dad." She smiles as her dad finally cuts the videocall leaving Sana all by herself all again.  
  
Moving to a new place is usually viewed as moving on, and Sana thinks that's quite correct and relevant in her current situation. Moving to a foreign country at such a young age was a big mistake, she thinks. She's still young and she's ready to get her life back, and she knows she can't do it without her son. Now she's ready to move on even though she knows it wasn't going to be easy.

Here she was, a 26-year-old woman without a degree. She knew life wasn't going to be easy for her and Geon, but she's determined. She's even willing to take factory jobs, odd jobs, anything. Sana knew this is better than living in that place, that cursed place. She's lucky to have gotten out early, things may look dull now but even so, Sana is a tad bit optimistic about Kyoto.

* * *

It was seven in the morning, most people do not expect their doorbells to ring this early. Hirai Momo thought the same, that's why when she heard her doorbell go off, she immediately had to peek through the peephole, trying to see who the hell it is.

"Huh." Momo huffed to herself, opening the door and letting the mother and son duo inside her apartment. "You found me." She sarcastically greets them, ruffling Geon's hair in the process. The child was annoyed at the gesture, obviously.

"I know I should’ve at least informed you about this last night but I do not have your cellphone number and well..." Sana trails off, trying to think of a reason to make Momo go soft.

"What is it?" Momo interrupts her, wanting to get straight to the point. Sana smiled, hoping it would make Momo soften up a bit. "What brings you here so early in the morning?" Momo smiles back, she was wearing her tracksuit so it was obvious she didn't have anything planned.

"Would you mind watching Geon for me?" Without really noticing it, Sana's already biting her lip in nervousness. All she hopes for is for Momo to say yes.

"Wait, what's going on here?" Momo is a little worried about what Sana is going to ask her.

"I need to go and apply for jobs and I can't take Geon with me, it just..." Sana was already desperate but also shameful because of what she's doing. Momo couldn't help but notice the urgency in her voice, so she just nods.

"It's cool." She nods her head.

"For real?!" Sana exclaims, making half-asleep Geon jolt up. The little boy rubbing his eyes in frustration, hoping he could just enjoy his sleep in peace.

"Yeah, when will you be back?" Asks Momo.

"Like..." Sana trails off. "A whole day." Shameless Sana had debuted.

"A day? Oh, darling. I have work at one this afternoon. I don't think..." Momo trails off as she sees how exhausted Sana seems. She couldn't help but notice how tired her voice sounded, without even thinking of the consequences, Momo just nods.

"Okay, I'll watch him for today." She smiles at Sana, hoping it would at least lighten up her friend's mood.

"Really?" Sana's smile reached her ears. "Thank you so much!" She exclaimed, all the energy from the two cups of coffee she's consumed this morning is starting to show. "Geon-ah, please be good to auntie Momo. Okay? I'll be back before dinner, I promise." She reaches down to kiss the boy's cheek, Geon is indifferent though.

"Just come back for him, okay?" Momo jokingly says as Sana walked away from them. Both Geon and Momo watched as Sana disappeared into the crowd of early birds in the street. Now, it was only Momo and Geon together.

"I'm hungry." The child complains, looking at Momo directly in the eyes. Momo couldn't help but see the resemblance, she wanted to make a comment about it last night to Sana but she knew it wasn't a wise idea so she just kept it to herself.

"So..." Momo trails off as she looks at the half-awake kid. "You like instant ramen, right?" She asks the boy.

"No." He answers directly.

"Well, it sucks to be you because that is what we're going to eat for breakfast." she softly pats the top of the boy's head, closing the door behind them. 

* * *

It was surprising for Momo when the little brat who couldn't stop complaining about instant ramen during breakfast turned out to be quite well-behaved and well-mannered in the gym. Hirai Momo ever since she's dropped out of college has been working in the nearest gym as an instructor. At first, she thought working as a gym instructor would be a temporary thing because first, she thought she'd save up for college in no time. Second, she hates exercising, she was only intending to do the job in order to pay for tuition. But one thing led to another and she ended up working there up until now.

"He's a good kid." Smiles Momo while she and Sana talk for a bit in her Kitchen. Sana just arrived, both of them sipping on a hot cup of coffee. Geon was in the living room, watching some television.

"It's a nice place you got here, bigger than our apartment too." Says Sana, looking around. "I kind of assumed you're currently living with someone." She smiles, sipping on her coffee to ease the awkwardness between them. Momo prefers to live alone, she thinks the solitude keeps her sane. 

"The only ruckus I've experienced in a long time is hanging out with that kid." Says Momo jokingly, motioning at Geon. Sana couldn't help but feel ashamed because of asking for help. 

"Did he behave well?" was the only thing Sana asked. 

"He did, you don't have to worry about it." Replies Momo immediately, wanting to at least make Sana feel that asking for help isn't a bad thing. An awkward silence followed, both women do not really know what else to say. They aren't exactly that close anymore but they also aren't enemies. 

"So..." Momo trails off, trying to figure out what to say in order to make the awkwardness go away. "How was your day?" To Momo, the question felt weird. In her head, their relationship is kind of there but both of them need a lot of catching up to do in order to warm up to each other once again. 

"Well, you know." Chuckles Sana, Momo knew Sana is the type to laugh or chuckle whenever she's nervous. Momo stares at the woman clasping the coffee mug awkwardly, it seems like Sana doesn't know how to act. "It didn't go well." Sana can't hide the sadness in her voice.

Momo has been fending for herself ever since she decided to drop out of college, during the first few weeks of when her parents finally found out about what she did, Momo experienced things she never thought she would ever experience. Momo experienced getting kicked out of her apartment, not eating for a day, and not being able to bathe for a week due to the unfortunate circumstances. These experiences hardened her. Momo used to be tough in High School but inside she was soft. After dropping out, both her interior and exterior hardened and made her the woman that she is today. 

"You never should've left South Korea." Momo knew not to meddle and she knew saying that was wrong. She knew. She's old enough to understand but she's also insensitive. 

"What do you mean." Sana's heart broke when Momo uttered those words. She knew what Momo meant, she understood her fully and in actuality, Momo doesn't even have to explain what she meant. But Sana kept a smile plastered on her face and did her best to not sound disappointed. 

"I meant you made the wrong decision." Momo is straightforward, she doesn't like beating around the bush and whenever she does talk, she makes sure the person she's talking to receives the message. "Japan is experiencing a recession, people who had graduated and have obtained a degree find it difficult to look for a job here. It's people like us who live in shabby apartment buildings and have no degree suffer the most. That's why even though I hate my godforsaken job, I keep it because I don't want to starve." Says Momo, her words stinging Sana.

"I mean, it's only day one." Sana tries to lighten up the mood.

"I bet my whole month's salary that it would have been easier for you to land a job in Korea than in Japan." Says Momo rather harshly, not really caring whether she'd hurt the person she's talking to. "That's why you should've stayed." Says Momo almost bitterly, feeling sorry for Sana and Geon.

"But I left. I made that decision." This time Sana couldn't hide the resentment in her voice. Momo looks up, sensing some sort of tension building up. She can see it, Sana looks distraught.

"Let's have dinner," Momo stands up to walk away from Sana, not really wanting to say anything horrible again. In her head, those words seemed great and realistic, but no. She knew she hurt Sana but Momo is too cowardly to admit her fault. "I'll call takeout---" Sana cuts her off.

"That won't be necessary." Sana does her best to sound cheerful, not really wanting Geon to sense her sadness. "It's getting kind of late anyway. Geon and I have caused you so much trouble already." She smiles at Momo, her eyes cannot lie though.

"No, I insist. You guys should join me for dinner." Momo tries to fix whatever she's done. She's messed up so badly.

"Geon-ah, say goodbye to Aunt Momo." Sana softly calls her son's attention, the little boy turns his gaze towards Momo and smiles.

"You're so much fun, can you please look after me again?" The kid stands up and walks towards his mother. 

"You wish." Momo jokingly replies to Geon, making the kid laugh. Momo couldn't help but catch a glimpse of Sana smiling at the kid, Momo wished she hadn't said those things. "If you need someone to look after him, just knock on my door okay?" Momo tries to fix whatever she's done.

"Thank you so much for today." Sana smiles as she puts her hand behind Geon's neck to make him join her politely bow at Momo. Even with the smile plastered on Sana's mouth, Momo could tell she had hit something in Sana that she should've not touched. She knew what she said was insensitive but she's also too caught up in her own little world that she forgot she is not the only one who can be hurt too. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you guys enjoyed the update? Don't forget to press kudos and to leave a comment! Comments usually help and encourage me to write more! Thank you!


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you guys enjoy this update and if you have any questions about when I would be updating, you can comment down below and I'll be sure to answer you back asap. Thank you and please enjoy it!

Momo admits she's encountered strange people because of her job. Being a gym instructor does have its own charms and benefits because through this she's able to keep a very good physique but all the positive aspects about the job are outweighed by negative aspects. First of all, Momo thinks being a gym instructor is not worth it because of the low salary and the lack of security. She honestly doesn't know how she's able to keep the job even though she's messed up many times. Second is all the indecent proposals she's received because of the job from both male and female clients. 

Well, there were nice ones that were very polite about asking and she admits that she's agreed to some offers. She doesn't think it's a bad thing especially because she's a young single woman in her twenties. She sees it as using her brain because she's not only having fun but also receiving extra benefits. 

But the thing is, Momo feels that there's no sense of fulfillment in what she's doing. She feels as if she's going nowhere, no sense of direction. This used to be a temporary thought that would visit her every once in a while but this thought became solidified the moment she laid eyes on her estranged best friend Minatozaki Sana. Sana's no longer just Sana, she's now a woman with a five-year-old kid. Momo has always thought that having kids is reserved for the future, not that she wants any! But to her, that's how she sees it. For her, it isn't the future yet. Why are people suddenly popping out with little versions of themselves? Why does she hate this so much? Could it be because it makes her realize how much time she's wasted? 

* * *

For Hirai Momo, mornings usually consist of watching the news and sipping on her cup of coffee. Most people would enjoy their cup of joe on their balcony overlooking some picturesque scenery outside their apartment but not Momo. Well, not in her shabby cheap apartment that overlooked nothing but unfinished building construction. Ugly. Momo thinks everything about this place is hideous. The place is the very epitome of depression. 

"Why the hell am I staying in this hellhole?" Chuckles Momo as she read the newly posted notice that she's received in the mail. The notice contained the message that rent will increase by five percent starting next month. Momo wants to crumple the stupid paper, but she knew better than that. "How could they raise the rent up to five percent? For what? No one even likes this town, people don't even go here. This doesn't make any sense at all." She rolls her eyes as she finishes her cup of coffee, crumpling the notice without even realizing it. 

"I never gave consent to be alive, why am I here?" Momo mumbles to herself, her body aching from all the mumbo jumbo she's participated in the night before. She barely had the courage to wake up, remembering a probability that she's left a garment over at that woman's place. Embarrassed but also sick of everything, Momo just does her best to live through everyday with style. 

A few moments after trying to remember the events from the night before, Momo hears her doorbell go off. She wasn't expecting any company this early in the morning, Momo finds the unsolicited ringing a little bit bothersome. When she finally reached her door and peeped through her peephole, she sees that it is the mother and son duo from the building across hers. 

"Hey." greets Sana the moment Momo opened her door for them. If Sana was going to be honest, she didn't want to ask for Momo's help again. But that's the thing, she doesn't have a choice. In her mind, she was really embarrassed and a little annoyed at Momo. 

"What's up?" Momo smiled half-heartedly, not really sure whether to feel happy that the duo is here or just to feel awkward. Hirai Momo hasn't seen them in over two weeks, seeing them in front of her apartment is surprising to her. She notices how tired Geon seemed, his eyes shut. The little boy is basically asleep while standing. "Maybe you should bring him in first, he can sleep on my bed. Poor kid's about to drop on the ground." Momo chuckles, Sana then smiles slightly at Momo as she carries the boy inside the apartment

"I can't say no to that." Smiles Sana as she passes through Momo's bedroom door, then carefully placing the tired little boy on the bed. Momo just watched, standing by her door frame. She then realized how much energy and patience these little humans suck from adults. 

"So is everything okay?" Asks Momo, trying to start a casual conversation between them. Sana just shrugged at her, Momo can see the dark circles around Sana's eyes. "Anything that I can help you with?" Asks Momo, wishing that Sana wouldn't feel awkward around her anymore. 

"Well, I just needed someone to look after my son for today and--" Sana was about to start a five-minute monologue about why she couldn't find another person to look after Geon and why she chose Momo to after her son. But Momo understood her, Momo understood her needs even though she's not a mother herself. Besides, Momo felt guilty about the thing that she's done the last time. She feels as if looking after Geon would be a very good peace offering to Sana. 

"It's fine, honestly. I'd rather have my cup of coffee than listen to you ramble." Says Momo nonchalantly as she walked towards her table, leaving Sana completely taken aback.

"Excuse me?" Asks Sana. 

"Don't you have a job interview you have to be at right now?" Asks Momo, completely giving away the fact that she's been secretly observing Sana in the morning. Momo wanted to smack herself but she had to act cool.

"How do you know?" Asks Sana almost immediately. 

"Well, because of your outfit." Momo stares at Sana from head to foot, she then shrugs. She's happy, she knows the outfit excuse is a good save. 

"Oh wow." Huffs Sana, the comment makes her smile. "Do you think I'd get hired with the help of this outfit?" Sana asks Momo.

"What time is your interview?" Asks Momo.

"Eight-thirty," answers Sana immediately.

"Well, it's eight-ten. If you don't get your ass out of here, you won't get a job at all." Says Momo as she took a sip from he coffee. Momo's reminder prompted Sana to become alert, this made her gather her things and walk towards the door. 

"Don't forget to close the door on your way out." Says Momo as she turns her television set on. "Oh, and by the way." She calls Sana's attention one last time.

"Yeah?" Sana stops midway.

"Break a leg." Utters Momo, not really looking directly in Sana's eyes.

* * *

Momo knew that Geon is a manageable child. If it were another kid who would go to work with her, Momo would refuse. But with Geon, she felt fine with the idea. Geon would only be a handful whenever he's hungry or when he's bored. Momo is smart, so always makes sure to bring extra snacks and lend the child her iPad. Thorugh those simple hacks, Geon would be a quiet boy just chilling in the corner.

"What do you think of today?" Asks Momo, Geon holding Momo's hand as they walk the streets of Kyoto. Momo just finished her shift and the duo is now walking home, good thing Momo lives near where she works. 

"Boring, I miss my mom." The child huffs, looking at Momo directly. Momo couldn't help but just see the resemblance, he just looks so much like his father. Momo has to shake off the thought because if she didn't, she might end up knocking the kid out. That man, that man is horrible. She wished the child would not take after him as he grows up. 

"Sorry kid, I'm all you've got right now." Momo chuckles, she understands Geon's frustration. 

"Well, this sucks." the child says. This makes Momo chuckle. 

"It sucks for me too, kid. You're not alone." Momo tugs at the child's hand, gaining his attention. "I'm pretty sure your mom's going to be waiting for us at my apartment, alright?" Momo reassures the child, making him smile and making his eyes shine with excitement. 

* * *

"But you said she'd be waiting for me when we arrive here." Geon's lips were trembling, his seems sad, and it's like he's about to cry. He's currently holding his spoon close to his mouth. Momo just stared at him, she herself does not know why Sana still hasn't shown up. 

"I was wrong, I guess." Says Momo, her patience wearing thin. She knows that she should be more compassionate for the child but for her, it's difficult to answer all his questions. "Look, I just hope she didn't run away." Momo jokes, not realizing that kids Geon's age do not understand sarcasm. That was when he dropped his spoon on the table and crossed his arms, ultimately giving up on dinner. 

"You're mean." his lips trembled as he spoke. Even at such a young age, Geon already had this piercing gaze which made her think of that person again. 

"Look, let's make a deal." Momo finally gives up. "You finish your dinner..." Momo trails off, pointing at the spoon which Geon just dropped on the table. "And I'll buy you anything you want from the convenience store." She adds. To this, Geon's eyes light up. He quickly wiped his tears and fished his spoon, then he started eating.

"I want chocolate ice cream." He announces in the middle of eating. Momo just nods, tired of taking care of the child. 

"Finish your meal or else there won't be any chocolate ice cream." She's just tired at this point, her mind then starts to wonder how Sana is able to do all this work. "She must've been so exhausted." She whispers to herself.

* * *

Everything became easier the moment she handed little Geon the chocolate ice cream. The boy was fussy and couldn't stop asking if Momo had any idea where his mother is. She just kept telling him that if he won't be quiet, there would be no chocolate ice cream for him. That made him quiet, which was good enough for Momo. 

After the trip to the convenience store, Momo realized it was getting late and it was probably past the child's bedtime. Hirai Momo is the youngest in the family, so it's safe to say that taking care of a child didn't come easy. 

"Kid, how does your mom do all this?" She asked the boy, she was quite confused about what his nightly routine is. "You know, like, do you know how to give yourself a bath?" She asked the child, hoping that his answer is a big yes. The moment the child nodded, Momo felt this huge weight on her chest disappear. 

After taking a bath, Momo allowed little Geon to slee[p on her bed. She's thankful that Sana is sensible enough to leave extra clothes for the boy in his bag. Also, Momo noticed how Geon doesn't have any particular nightly routine, no warm glass of milk, no bedtime stories, no tuck-ins, nothing. She found that quite interesting. As a child, Momo enjoyed all those things. Both her parents would always do that. In Momo's mind, it's strange, the boy is so young yet he also seems to be mature for his age. 

* * *

A loud thud which is then partnered with an obnoxious volume of knocking is heard from outside of Momo's door. She hurriedly walks towards her door, peeping through her peephole. Momo discovers a disheveled Sana standing right in front of her door. Her eyes were half-closed, any minute now it seems like she would fall on the ground and crack her had wide open like a watermelon. 

Momo without any regard for Sana, opens her door and grabs the girl inside. 

"Where the hell have you been? It's two in the morning, are you kidding me?" Momo blurts out, her hands tightly gripping Sana's collar. 

"I uh..." Sana trails off, then hiccups. Momo knows a drunk person when she sees one. Sana is drunk, this makes Momo feel angry. "I've been walking around." Sana smiles, instantly losing balance in the process. Good thing Momo is quick enough to catch her, Momo couldn't stop herself from rolling her eyes. She thinks all of this is ridiculous. 

"What the hell are you doing? Snap out of it." Momo warns Sana, feeling as if her blood is at its boiling point at the moment. Momo gently pushes Sana on the sofa and walks towards her room. Momo closes her bedroom door, not wanting Geon to wake up from all the ruckus. "Are you out of your mind, Sana? This is ridiculous!" it took all of Momo's strength not to shout at Sana. Sana was just there, sitting on the Sofa, receiving all of Momo's nasty remarks. 

"I know..." Sana replies, her voice slightly slurring in the process. "All of this is ridiculous." Sana huffs, her cheeks have become the color of salmon. Momo just stared at Sana, her arms crossed and her foot tapping on the wooden floor without noticing it herself. 

"You told me this morning you were off to an interview, what happened? Why are you so drunk?" Momo persistently asked Sana. 

"I also don't know." Answers Sana, she sounds almost sober. Momo had to stare at her for a few seconds before coming up with something to reply. 

"Get your shit together, Minatozaki. You've got a child to raise, this isn't a game." Says Momo, her arms still crossed on her chest. "I know I've got no right to speak to you harshly, especially because I still do not know if we're friends or not. But you have to understand that you're a mother now. Mothers do not come home dead drunk and crying. You should be thankful Geon is already fast asleep, because if he isn't? His heart would break to a thousand pieces at this sight." Momo points to Sana.

"I'm sorry." Was all Sana could say, a lump forming in her throat is making it extra difficult to speak. If Sana would be honest, she isn't even that drunk. She knows it would take lots in order for her to be numb. She isn't numb just yet, she feels the pain right in her and she doesn't even know what to do about it. 

"I..." trails Sana off, she's trying to find the right words to say. Momo is just there, standing. She refuses to sit down. "Up until our divorce, I was just a housewife. I knew nothing else but to stay at home and take care of the house. I became so dependent on him and now my son and I are paying for my foolishness." Sana's voice cracked as she is speaking, it was difficult but she knew she had to stop herself from crying. 

"I am too ambitious and my hopes are way too high." Sana's gaze turned to the floor, her shoulders slouched. "The interviewers told me I had no chance for a secretariate job. They told me to get my head out of cloud nine. You were right, I should've stayed in Korea." Tears started hitting the wooden floor and Sana started to sob softly, she doesn't want Geon to hear her. 

"My ex is refusing to pay for child support. There's nothing left in my bank account, Momo. The interview this morning was my last shot and I failed. I failed! I have bills to pay, I have a child to feed and I can't let him starve. There is a possibility that by the end of this month my son and I will be kicked out of our apartment. This wasn't what I had pictured in my head when moved here." Sana's sobs were getting noisier, Momo couldn't help but walk towards Sana and pull her close to her stomach. Momo wants to muffle Sana's cries. She can't let Geon hear all of this.

"Go ahead." Momo holds Sana's head close to her stomach. "Cry all you want." That was all Momo could say, she can't really do and say much. She's struggling herself too. Sana just cried, she cried like a child. In Momo's mind, she thought kids shouldn't be allowed to have kids. 

That night, Momo let the Mother and Son sleep in her apartment. After taking a bath and washing her mouth, Sana slept beside her son. Momo felt sorry for both of them. That night, she had a difficult time sleeping. She couldn't help but think of ways to help them. But alas, she can't think of anything. Momo can't get the image of Sana crying out of her head. It was unusual, but what happened that night tugged on her heart. 

* * *

A few days had passed and it seems as if nothing had happened. Momo didn't really hear anything from Sana and Geon, in her mind she thought maybe Sana had already got lucky and found herself a job. But Momo's heart sank when her eyes laid on Minatozaki Sana eating at a convenience store near where she works. It was already four in the afternoon. Momo had no intention of going inside but something in her made her want to talk to Sana.

"Hey," Momo gently calls Sana's attention. When their eyes meet, Sana almost spat her food the moment she realized who was calling her. Sana still can't forget her embarrassing drunken monologue at Momo's place. Without realizing it, Sana's cheeks turn pink.

"H-hi." Greets Sana, chuckling due to nervousness. 

"Is that onigiri?" Asks Momo, pointing at what Sana's is eating. Sana nods, a little confused because Momo seems to be chill all off a sudden. "Can I have some?" Asks Momo, Sana immediately gives her an untouched one. Momo shakes her head and gently takes the one that Sana has already bitten off. This catches Sana off guard, but she remains silent. 

"Do you still remember highschool?" Asks Momo as she takes a bite from Sana's onigiri. Sana just nods because who the hell doesn't remember high school. "You used to hate these things." Momo chuckles, motioning to the onigiri. "You always said they didn't taste like anything. But I loved them because they were cheap and filled me." Smiles Momo, she was already looking at Sana. 

"I guess you were right all along." Sana can't help but look away, she felt embarrassed. She once was so proud but now she's nowhere. "I really can't afford anything else right now." Sana looks down, her foot tapping on the floor. Sana's nervous.

"I know." Replies Momo. 

"Yeah." is all Sana could say.

"Anyway, the dumb landlords have imposed an increase in the rent. Isn't that crazy?" Momo seems annoyed. Sana just shrugged, she doesn't have anything else to say anyway. "Anyway, I work at this gym nearby as an instructor. I know this isn't much but the cleaning lady just quit her job, you might want to take a look at the job opening." Momo felt embarrassed because it was impossible for Sana to say yes to a cleaning job but it was all that she could offer.

Momo is wrong, Sana felt a huge wave of relief wash over her. At this point, she didn't really care whatever job it was, the important thing is she has a job. 

"I'll take, I'll take it." Says Sana, her eyes starting to water because of the happiness she's currently feeling. She didn't care what job it is as long as it was a job that pays.

"Yeah?" Smiles Momo. They both became silent for a few seconds and then a lightbulb turned on inside Momo's head. "Hey, Sana." Says Momo.

"Hmmm?" replies Sana.

"You and Geon could live with me." Momo finally blurts out. The thought is a sudden realization that Momo had. If Momo is going to be honest, it felt embarrassing to tell Sana such a thing. Sana just stared at her, the smile on her face starting to get bigger. Both of them were really quiet for a few seconds, no one dared to talk. In Momo's head, the idea seemed great because she has an extra bedroom where Sana and Geon can sleep in. They can share rent. Momo knew it was a good idea, but she felt embarrassed because it seems like she is chasing.

"Yes, we would be happy to." without even thinking, Sana pulls Momo close to herself, hugging Momo tightly. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm quite enjoying writing this fic because it's definitely very opposite to the first fic I've written. Also, Sana and Momo's characters in this story are very relatable. I honestly hope and pray that I'd finish this fic a lot more gracefully compared to my first fic. 
> 
> Anyway, did you guys enjoy the update? What do you guys think? If you have any questions, you can comment down below and I'll be sure to answer you back asap. Thank you! Have a nice day.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello guys! I really enjoyed reading your comments on Chapter 3. Your comments made me want to really update this story as soon as possible. 
> 
> By the way, I hope you enjoy this update.

Sana quickly asked her own son where his Auntie Momo worked, the child even though he's still young, is very good with directions. A day or two after Sana was confronted by Momo, Sana decided it was best to visit where Momo works. There, not too surprisingly, she was confronted by gym instructors asking her if she was new. They also and also offered her their services. The moment she revealed she was there for the cleaning job, the instructors fled away like she had some sort of highly contagious disease.

_Trash._

Sana thought those pretentious instructors were trash. She didn't care though, she'll just have to ignore them. The moment she knocked at the gym manager's office asking about the cleaning job, Sana was met by this balding overweight guy. Sana thought it was ironic because if he manages a gym, shouldn't he be healthy too?

"This isn't a joke, right?" The manager nervously laughed, probably in a bit of shock because of what he just heard.

"No, actually my friend told me about the job opening." Sana smiled, wanting to leave a good impression. "Ms. Hirai. Hira Momo, she's my friend." She finally gave a name. 

"Oh, so you're really serious." The manager crossed his arms. He stared at Sana for a few seconds, making the girl uncomfortable. In Sana's mind, she just has to endure a little in order to get the job. "You're hired." the manager without hesitation blurted out, he then reached his crusty hands to Sana making it seem like he wanted to shake her hand. But Sana is smart, she knew jobs like this don't need any handshakes.

"Oh wow, you just hired me on the spot." Chuckles Sana nervously.

"Well, for starters, a cleaning job isn't a highly sought job." chuckled the Manager condescendingly. "Not that it's a bad job." He chuckled again, it seemed as if he didn't even believe what he's said.

"Of course." Though uncomfortable, Sana showed the manager a sweet smile. "A job is a job after all." Sana wanted to believe what she said but, she found it difficult to do so.

"Great." The manager nodded his head. "So you start tomorrow if you don't mind?" He finally sets the date.

_Unemployed no more._

"Thank you so much." Sana bows at the creepy balding manager.

"Not so fast," He stopped the young woman, this gave Sana the creeps. If she only had the choice, she would've clobbered the punk but she doesn't have the bargaining power, so she'll just have to smile and nod. "You clean the gym three times in total. The first cleaning would be at six in the morning, you clean the comfort room and wipe some of the pieces of equipment that need cleaning. After that, you can go." 

"Wait, what." It was obvious Sana is confused. 

Without really giving a damn whether the new girl understood his instructions, the balding fat manager continued "And then you come back at 12 to check if the Comfort rooms and changing rooms are fine. No need to check the gym equipment at this point, understand?" he adds, giving little shit if Sana was able to comprehend.

"I uh...Sure." Was all Sana could say.

"Finally, you clean once again at eight in the evening, this time you clean said restrooms and that's about it. Maybe some equipment too." Says the manager. "At this time, your workload is doubled because usually, we have two people who clean this whole damn place, they take turns taking the shifts." He babbles.

"I see." Sana wanted to end the conversation.

"But for now, you'll be working alone. Until further notice, that is." He lifted his head up from the ton of paperwork he's doing. 

"That's absolutely fine with me." Smiled Sana.

* * *

There is no solid reason for Sana not to say yes to living with Momo. Sana knew Momo is doing her a favor, she knew that moving in with Momo is a win-win situation. So, moving into her estranged best friend's place happened a week after the two women had a conversation in the Convenience store. 

During the days that lead to the move, Sana admits that there was something in her that made her feel anxious. Sana didn't understand it herself, in Sana's head, something just felt off. If she really were to think about it, the move shouldn't even stress her out because she and Geon aren't going to live with some stranger. They're going to live with Momo, the Hirai Momo. Her 'best friend', well, she's not even sure if she should address Momo as such. 

* * *

On moving day, things went smoothly. Momo was kind enough to help them carry their things. There really wasn't much that happened that day. Funny enough, Momo ordered jjajangmyeon and said that it was important for Geon to understand Korean culture even though the child is currently living in Japan.

"So, kid. You eat this stuff when you move to another place. Sometimes you even eat this during black day." Says Momo as she encourages the child to dig in, realizing that maybe Geon is too young to understand what black day is. Sana was just there, watching as the interaction happened. It amazed her how natural Momo and Geon talk to each other. Geon too tired from helping in the move, so he just quietly eats his food.

"You still remember all that stuff?" Chuckles Sana, newspapers were laid out on the floor. The trio was too tired so they decided to just lay some newspaper and eat on the floor. Sana just stared, Momo seemed nonchalant.

"Of course, we took Korean 101 as our elective together in high school. How could I forget?" Says Momo, her gaze shifting to Geon. "You better eat a lot, I don't think being short would suit you." Chuckles Momo as she puts some radish Kimchi on Geon's plate, the child just pouted, refusing to eat the side dish. 

"It's good for you, honey." Smiles Sana as she leaned in to pat Geon on top of his head. Even though Sana made it seem like she wasn't listening, she admits that the fact that Momo still remembers high school truly caught her attention. "Well, High school was something." Sana laughs nervously.

"It was." Momo chuckles, her gaze downcast on the wooden floor. "I can't remember much anyway. Just some silly memories on top of my head." Momo says this as if she was bored, this made Sana think that she made the girl uncomfortable so she decides to just end the conversation there. In Sana's head, she has to live with Momo now and she's going to have to do best not to argue or upset the woman.

* * *

After Sana and her little son moved into Momo's apartment, things seemed relatively normal. It was summertime, the gym was busy because people usually want to look good in bathing suits so work for both Sana and Momo was hectic. During the mornings, Sana has to wake up early and head to the gym to tend to her work. Momo usually is the one who would give Geon some cereal and milk the moment he wakes up. For Sana, things felt stable for once. It has only been three weeks since she started work and even though she admits that a cleaning job isn't easy, she still feels lucky because the job pays.

* * *

"Honey, can you please pay attention?" huffs Sana, her knuckles are aching. She grabs some balm and she carefully applies some on her hands, cracking her knuckles in the process. "Look, Geon-ah. It's not that difficult." Sana admits that she's close to giving up. Geon just stared at his mother, he wasn't really interested in learning more. 

"But it's difficult." Geon huffs, it's only ten in the morning but the child feels like he's worked all day long. 

"I know, honey. I know." Sana knew she's partially to blame why her own son finds it difficult to speak Nihongo. She stares at Geon who has already given up, his elbows propped on the table as his tiny head rested on his palms. "But I noticed you've improved so much, honey." Sana smiles, its the truth the child's Japanese did improve. Sana leans in to pat the top of Geon's head, this makes the child smile.

"Aunt Momo taught me." Geon smiled, his chin still resting on his palms. 

"Yeah? That's nice of aunt Momo, right?" Says Sana. "So, do you like it here?" Asks Sana, pertaining to their current living situation. The child nods without hesitation. 

"I don't feel so alone anymore." Geon smiled, not really realizing the impact of his statement to his mother. He's only five after all. The moment Sana heard the child utter those words, she felt this stabbing pain right in her chest. Sana can't really say much, what is there to say anyway? As a mother, all she wants is to provide for her son and to give him a loving home even if it meant he had to grow up without a father. 

Before Sana could even say something to fill the silence, their doorbell rings. Sana finds it strange because they weren't really expecting company, besides, Momo told them she'd be home after work.

"That's strange, didn't aunt Momo tell us that she's supposed to be somewhere right now?" Sana asks her son, Geon only nod his head aggressively. "Geon-ah, mommy is getting old. Aunt Momo said she's going straight to work, right?" She asks Geon.

"Yes, eomma." He affirms her mother's question.

"I saw her bring a gym bag too." Sana huffs as she stands up, reaching her hand to her son. " Do you think we should check it?" She asked, Geon just nods enthusiastically. 

When the mother and son duo reached the door, Sana hesitantly peeked through the peephole and sees a strange-looking young woman. Sana didn't know the woman, she thinks it's weird because Momo didn't really tell her anything about anyone paying them a visit. Sana is very sure it isn't Hana, Momo's older sister. 

"I know you're in there, open up woman." The strange woman outside their door seemed impatient. Sana had to look at her son, Geon just shrugged. Sana hesitantly decides to open the door. The moment their eyes meet, the woman's eyes widened. 

"Excuse me, but, who are you?" The woman asked, Sana thought the woman seemed rude. The woman is just there, standing in her distasteful clothes that's she's probably bought from the tackiest thrift shop. 

"I'm Sana and this is my son, Geon." Sana immediately signaled the child to bow as a sign of respect. The boy is kind enough to follow his mother's wish even though he doesn't want to acknowledge the stranger's presence. "Is there anything that we can help you with?" Sana has always been polite, people had told her this multiple times already. 

"That's strange, I thought we were supposed to meet here." The strange woman chuckles to herself, her crimson-colored lipstick has stained her teeth. This makes Sana question whether the stranger is aware of the situation. "Do you know Momo by any chance? We were supposed to meet---" Sana cuts her off when she heard the woman utter Momo's name. 

"Ah, I know Momo. We live with her, she's actually---" Rudely, the stranger cuts her off too.

"Can you please tell her to give the correct time and place next time?" The woman sarcastically laughs, the lipstick stain more visible now more than ever. 

Geon is only five but he knows when a person is being disrespectful, he understood people's tones when they talk. He couldn't help but notice his mother being caught off guard because of the stranger. "Auntie, did you eat something color red this morning? Why are your teeth color red?" He asked innocently, even as a child he knew this would humble the rude woman. 

Sana couldn't help but stifle a laugh, she lightly hit Geon on the back of his head. "I'm so sorry, he's only a child." Sana tries to hold her laughter in. "Please don't mind whatever he's said." Adds Sana even though she knew Geon was correct. The unnamed woman just rolled her eyes.

"Whatever." She rudely dismisses the apology. "I wasn't aware Momo is running Charity here." The rude woman stares at Sana from head to foot. "Tell her I dropped by." She rudely finishes as she walks off without saying a proper goodbye. Sana thinks the woman is strange, in her head, who the hell dresses like a stripper in broad daylight and knocks at people's doors at ten in the morning.

"Eomma." Geon tugged at his mother's hand. 

"What is it, darling?" She asks the kid. 

"She wore such short clothes, is she not going to be cold?" The child asks innocently, to this Sana's eyes widen. 

"She'll be fine, Geon-ah." She does her best not to laugh. "It's her body so she gets to decide what she wants to wear, is that clear?" Sana adds. 

"Yes, eomma." the child innocently nods as they both go inside and lock the door behind them. 

* * *

"My roommate called, she told me some strange girl knocked on our door and came looking for me." Momo didn't really care that somebody came looking for her, but what she didn't like is the fact that Yuzu came unannounced. 

"Strange?" The woman named Yuzu rolls her eyes, she's doing her best to not laugh. 

"Yeah, strange." Momo reiterates the word as she stared at the woman from head to toe. 

"Whatever, Hirai." Yuzu takes the empty seat in the gym quarters for instructors. "It wasn't my fault, okay? I always show up at your apartment and you'd open the door for me. I didn't expect two strange people would come and greet me." The woman reaches for something in her purse, a cigarette. Momo's eyes immediately lock at the cigarette.

"First of all, you had no business going to my place." Momo quickly walks towards her and snatches the cigarette stick out of Yuzu'shand. 

"Hey!" Yuzu protests.

"I know you've got a pack in your purse, dummy. Stop overreacting. I just don't want anyone smoking in here." Momo just standing, wanting to tower over the woman. Momo thinks the position asserts dominance. "Second, I work in fifteen minutes. I would appreciate it if you pack it up and leave already." Momo crossed her arms on her chest.

"Look, I'm sorry. Okay? I really thought we could meet up and have a good time before your work starts." Yuzu pouts, but of course, failed to gain Momo's attention.

"Aren't you busy doing University stuff or something?" Momo walks towards her bag, unzips up, and places her workout clothes on the table. Without regard for Yuzu, Momo takes her shirt off only leaving her sports bra on. 

"I really thought we could you know, enjoy your remaining time before work." Yuzu's voice suddenly became sultry, she's already behind Momo, her fingers lightly brushing up and down Momo'sbare back. 

"Stop." Warns Momo. She grabs her dry-fit shirt and puts in on before facing Yuzu, this catches the younger girl off-guard but in a good way. 

"I must say, you're quite exciting Hirai." Yuzu smiles, attempting to touch Momo's face but she ultimately fails when the older girl walks past her. "Hey, how could just walk off like that? I traveled for an hour just to see you. How can you ignore me?" the younger girl complains.

"Look, I'm tired. Okay? Stop acting so attached, it's not a good look on you." Momo's already by the door, then she stops mid-way to look at Yuzu. "Are you not going to get out?" She asked nonchalantly. 

"Come on, Momo." Yuzu pouts, wishing this time Momo would just give in. 

"You know I have your mother's phone number, right?" Momo warns her, this makes Yuzu freeze for a few seconds. She never thought Momo is this cold. Yuzu just shakes her head. Shee then passed through the door, fulfilling Momo's wish of her going home.

"Yuzu-chan." Momo calls the younger girl's attention one last time. Yuzu turns her gaze to the older girl. "I'll see you when I see you, alright?" Smirks Momo.

"After this? You wish." The younger girl rolls her eyes at Momo.

"Also, stop texting me to come over." Momo chuckles as she closes the door behind her. Yuzu only shakes her head in disappointment as she walks away. 

* * *

The sound of the television in the background made the living room more comfortable than usual. Momo, Sana, and Geon had just finished dinner. The night is not getting any younger, it's nearing eleven in the evening.

Sana is strict when it came to bedtime, she always made sure that Geon slept at 9 pm sharp. Tonight was a little challenging though, Geon threw some tantrum over the fact that his mother has decided to enroll him in the nearest Elementary. It's safe to say the child made bedtime difficult, he couldn't stop asking questions as to why he can't just study in Korea and why can't he just stay with his father. Sana knew the questions weren't horrible. What did the child know, anyway? It's a good thing Sana was able to handle the tantrum gracefully.

"How was your day?" Asks Sana as she rubbed some mint balm on her hands. The balm is her new best friend, without it, she'd be in a lot of pain. 

"The usual, nothing really happened." Momo answers plainly. Sana just stared and nodded, she really wanted to have a conversation with Momo but it seems like this really wasn't the night so she just continued massaging her aching hands. Momo notices this and stands up to grab something from a kitchen cabinet, Sana thought Momo wanted something to eat so she just continued watching television. 

"Keep in mind you're a cleaner now, it's expected you'd experience having sore hands or muscles." Says Momo as she walked back to the couch, she then lightly chucked a bottle of pain killers at Sana. Minatozaki Sana just stared at the pills, unsure of what to do. "That's a bottle of pain killers, you take one when you need it the most. Understand? Only one. Don't test me, I'll smack you when I find out you took two." Momo warns her and then plops on the sofa as if nothing happened. 

Sana is just there, staring at Momo. "Thanks." Sana smiles as she unconsciously holds the bottle close to her chest. "By the way, were you able to meet that lady awhile ago? It seemed like she was in a hurry, I hope you guys were able to do whatever you guys were supposed to do." Says Sana innocently as she turned her gaze to the television.

Now, Momo isn't the expressive type. Most of the time she'd just keep a straight face, but this time, Momo can't help but cough. Sana notices this. "Oh, yeah. That girl, yeah. We were able to talk, yes." Momo does her best to just focus on the television. 

"A friend from the gym?" Asks Sana innocently. Momo just had to stare at her because she knows Sana is not as innocent as she seems. Momo knew Sana understood more than what she's making it seem like. 

"A past fling." Momo says this like she doesn't care. The moment Sana heard those words, something inside her ignited. 

_Something she's forgotten all these years._

Sana just stared at Momo, unable to find the right words to say to her estranged best friend. Momo knew this would shock the girl, but she also knew she had to tell her one way or another. 

"What's up with the blank stare?" Momo asks Sana. 

"But I never knew." Sana is confused, she can't help but think of all those things years before. "I mean, I thought you weren't into that." Momo senses the muddled tone in Sana's voice, Momo had expected this would happen.

"I thought so too." Says Momo as she hugs both her legs close to her chest. "I found out a little after High School." says Momo as she lays her head on the Sofa's crest rail, just staring at Sana. Momo wanted to see how Sana would react. Sana just stared back, unsure how to act. 

"Right after High School, huh?" Asks Sana.

"Yeah." Momo huffs, still maintaining eye contact with the girl. 

Sana couldn't help but feel this stirring frustration inside of her, she wanted to curse and she wanted to spit in the face of fate, but she can't. So what does Sana do? She smiles and nods at Momo. However, Sana feels the need to say something before she goes to bed though, so without hesitation, she takes a deep breath and utters the words inside her head. "Wouldn't it have been wonderful if you found out earlier?" Sana can't hide the sorrow in her voice. 

Momo couldn't help but huff. "That would've been something, Minatozaki." for the first time today, Momo smiles at Sana sweetly. Then again, thinking of the what-ifs shouldn't be something that they should be doing. 

* * *

Minatozaki Sana admits that she didn't think everything through. In her head, she wanted to get away from Korea as soon as possible. Now, she's faced with the problem of her son's schooling. In her head, she knew the kids at the Elementary school will be cruel to her son, she just knew that would happen that's why she made sure Geon knew basic conversational Japanese before he enrolled. If she only had the money, she would enroll the child to an international school but that's the thing, she's broke.

Sana has considered the option of having Geon stop for one school year in order to adjust to life in Japan, that way, the child would be ready when he enrolls. But Sana is stubborn, in her head, she thinks delaying the child would affect Geon's interest in attending school. So that was it, everything was finalized. Eight weeks after the duo arrived in Japan, little Geon is finally enrolled at Rakuo Elementary School. Little did Sana know, this was only the beginning of a somber journey. 

* * *

The five percent increase in the rent didn’t really do any harm to both Momo and Sana. They calculated their shares and everything totaled to a fair amount. Sana especially was happy because she gets to keep some extra money for emergencies, well, that is until the landlord imposed this new rule.

"Look, this is unfair! There are no rules stated in the contract that prohibits multiple people to live in each apartment!" Sana has never seen Momo this frustrated before, but she understands why though. The landlord is currently being unreasonable.

"Yeah, I know but the said contract is subject to change every five years. Next month it's going to be the five-year mark since the last revise, I am just telling you this because I don't want to shock you. Besides, I'm not saying multiple people living in one apartment is not allowed, what I'm saying is people with no relations who live in the same apartment needs to pay ten percent more." The landlord kindly explains the situation.

"I understand what you're saying, but what you're doing is unreasonable. You've literally imposed rent increase in the last two months. Isn't that too much?" Momo replies back.

"Kid, everyone has to make a living here. It's either you or me. I'm obviously choosing me." The landlord cockily replies.

"Can't you have this law become effective starting next year, sir? Isn't this illegal?" Sana asks. She couldn't help but just butt in.

"This is a private establishment. All price increase is within my jurisdiction. What are you going to do? Report me?" He Chuckles. 

"You're getting out of line, old man. This isn't right." Momo stares at the landlord as if her life depended on it. 

"If you don't like it, you can leave. I offer the lowest price in this area and I know people would immediately swoop in to take your place." he smiles. 

"Can you please just..." Sana trails off, her voice slightly shaking. "Can you please reconsider moving the price increase next year?" She smiles at the landlord. The older guy couldn't help but notice the sadness in her eyes, so he just waves his hand dismissively. 

"I'll see what I can do." He replies before walking off to the next door, he's supposed to stick notices on each apartment door.

Momo begrudgingly enters their apartment and plops on the sofa, her foot tapping furiously on the wooden floor. Sana is thankful her son is having his afternoon nap, she can't let him see and hear all this tension. 

"It's okay, it's going to be okay. We'll figure this out." Says Momo. 

Sana couldn't help but think of all the hard work she's done and how a greedy landlord is keeping her from saving money. Something in her felt off, just... Something inside Sana felt broken the moment she heard about the increase. She feels like she's losing grip of reality, she didn't even notice it but she instantly fell on the sofa, sobbing. 

Sana's sobbing immediately catches Momo's attention. Momo didn't feel pity, instead, she felt this strong wave of annoyance engulf her. "You can't just cry every time something doesn't go your way, Sana." the distasteful words just slipping out of her mouth. 

Sana just stared at Momo "And you can't just say nasty things to me when I'm at my lowest, Momo." Sana replies almost immediately. This catches Momo off-guard, she can't believe Sana actually stood her ground. "Fuck." Sana whispers as she buries her face into her palms, frustration taking over her.

"It's going to be fine." Says Momo as she looks over to Sana who's currently burying her face into her palms. Momo rolls her eyes as she scoots next to Sana.

"Leave me alone." Sana whispers the moment she feels Momo next to her.

"What are you? A child?" Momo chuckles. Momo then tries to elbow the girl beside her. Sana doesn't budge. "I'm telling you, it's going to be fine, don't waste your tears on stupid shit like that." Momo whispers, she's calmed down now. 

"But I..." Sana trails off as she turns her gaze to Momo. Momo notices how red Sana's face has become, this makes her laugh. "I thought I could finally save some of my money." Sana's tone suggested she's disappointed. 

"Look, you have to stop crying. You can't be broke and ugly at the same time. You've got to pick a struggle." Momo finally cracks a joke, this catches Sana's attention. Instead of crying more, the statement prompts Sana to start slightly laughing.

"I've had it with you, Hirai." Sana wipes her tears while she's laughing. "I can't be that ugly, right?" Sana asks Momo, looking into her eyes.

"Oh trust me, you're ugly. Very ugly. Don't get your hopes up, honey." Momo laughs as she leans back on the sofa, she's happy she's finally broken the tension down. But in Momo's mind, one thing is for sure and that is her words and thoughts do not accurately match all the time. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This morning, I found out that our exams are next week. Now, I need to study and focus on that first but I'll be sure to update after things have cleared up at School.
> 
> By the way, what do you guys think? Comment down below and let me know!


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the wait, please enjoy the update. Also, trigger warning ahead about drug misuse and abuse. So please, if the topic is triggering to you, please read at your own risk. That is all, thank you.

It must've been the separation and the time away from each other that made Sana realize how plain-looking he actually looks. Bland. Tasteless. 

_"Now how the hell did I end up having relations with this strange-looking thing?"_ Sana asks herself, of course, this is something that she only keeps to herself. Sitting across her is the strange-looking thing, her ex-husband who for more than one reason must be out of his mind. 

"You're better than this, you know that. You're breaking everything we've agreed about when we separated." Sana seems lifeless when those words came out of her mouth. It must've been the sudden meeting that her ex prompted. Sana isn't appreciating any of this one bit, she missed work so this meeting should be worth her time. 

"We never signed any of those things in a legal document. Those agreements were trash." Minseok answers his ex-wife without skipping a beat.

"Just like you." Sana doesn't want to go down without a fight. "Trash." Sana strengthens her point.

"Look, let's cut the chase." Minseok clears his throat, trying to gain composure after being momentarily humiliated because of Sana's remarks. "I have the right to see my child, taking him to Japan is against my rights. This is beyond unfair." Says Minseok.

"Rights? Rights to Geon? You lost those rights the moment you decided to cheat on me." Sana's words cut through Minseok like a newly sharpened blade. 

"Don't you dare bring up cheating in this Conversation, Minatozaki. We both know you cheated too." Minseok's words catches Sana's attention. 

"No explanation can ever defend me from that incident, that's the truth." Sana starts, she then looks out the window of the cafe. They were both in some shop in the outskirts of Kyoto, Sana refused to meet up near her place. "But you did things that are beyond unforgivable and I am too frightened to raise my son near you, I can never let him grow up near your presence. I do not want him to grow up like you. You know what you did, you're just not man enough to admit to it." This time, Sana is just looking at her feet. She couldn't help but think of those times. 

"That was a very long time ago, Jesus. Why do you always bring that up?" Minseok chuckles rather proudly, this drives Sana into an overdrive of anger. "I wanna see my son." Minseok insists one more time.

"That's not for you to decide." Says Sana as she stands up, picking her bag in the process. Sana knew she's going to be late for her afternoon shift at work if she didn't leave the cafe now. Sana knew missing the shift at lunch time will cause her enough trouble.

It is apparent that Minseok wants to say something to convince Sana to let him see Geon. "You will see Geon when it's good for him, not when it's convenient for you." Says Sana. Minseok stands up, trying to get a hold of Sana's arms.

"Sana." He calls her attention, to this Sana responds by immediately snatching her arm away. 

"If you try to follow me right now, I will make sure you will lose your rights to our son. I will do everything in my power to get you out of the picture, whatever it takes. I will do it, Minseok. Don't test me." Says Sana as she immediately walks away from their table. Minseok just stared at Sana in disbelief, he couldn't believe how much his ex-wife changed since moving back to this place. Minseok suspects that there must be something in Japan's water reservoir that made Sana so confident. 

* * *

Everything in their apartment seemed calm, no one was really talking. There's something in the air that makes Momo suspect that something has happened, she stares at Sana who's been silent ever since she got home from work. 

"You're incredibly silent, that's kind of odd given that you're Minatozaki Sana. You're almost never silent." Says Momo jokingly as she takes the seat next to Sana, both of them have been watching television for the last hour. Geon's been asleep for over an hour , it was only the two of them. Sans stares at Momo for a quick second, debating herself whether she should tell Momo about Minseok and their faithful meeting that late afternoon. 

"Well, I met up with Geon's father this afternoon. Turns out he's contacted my parents about me and my son's whereabouts." Says Sana, her words sounded dead. It was probably because of the betrayal of her own parents, but it was also the nasty exchange between her and Minseok. It somehow left her restless and uneasy. 

"Song Minseok? You're telling me Song Minseok is in Kyoto right now? That bastard?" Momo tries her best to get into a better sitting position, facing Sana in the process. Momo notices the look on Sana's face. "What's wrong? Did he say anything to offend you?" Momo does her best to get answers from Sana. Sana just shakes her head, because Minseok just wanted to see their child. 

"He wanted to see Geon." Sana finally answers Momo. 

Momo couldn't help but stare at Sana as she tries to think of the right words to say. "And?" Of course, Momo as per usual can be insensitive. Sana had to stare at Momo for a few seconds, she's not really sure what to feel at the moment. 

"What?" is all Sana could say. 

"I mean, why does it seem like you're conflicted about Minseok meeting his son? That's his child." Momo says these words innocently, but also, not really thinking of what Sana might feel. 

"I was hoping you wouldn't say that." It's understandable, having a job while raising a kid doesn't come easy especially that Sana is a single mother. Sana hates to admit it but, she wished that Momo would take her side. But she's wrong, Momo is clueless as usual. Crass and unempathetic, well, that is how Sana sees it at least. 

"What? Letting Geon see his father? Isn't that the right thing to do?" Says Momo, staring blankly into the television. It's obvious she isn't paying attention to the tv show anymore. 

"I was hoping you'd take my side this time. I was hoping, unlike my parents, you of all people Momo would understand where I am coming from. But I guess I should have lowered my expectations." Sana stood up, wanting to leave the living room. Sana knew she and Momo will end up fighting if this conversation carries on.

"Why are you letting your anger get in the way of the relationship of Geon and Minseok?" Says Momo, her gaze still fixed on the television screen. 

"You of all people knew what he did." Says Sana, stiffness in her voice is heard inside the living room. Sana couldn't help but feel this cloud of anger consume her. She's afraid she might do something that isn't like her. "How dare you say that to me. You knew what happened, but you still actively chose to tell me that I should let him see my child?" Sana chuckles out of annoyance. 

"You see, when you talk all I hear is your problem against Minseok. Not problems about him being a father to Geon. All this shit you're saying is the bad things he's done to you. Sure, he may have been the worst person to you but that doesn't mean he'll do the same thing to your son." Momo stood up, wanting to walk away too. Momo knew this was none of her business, she knew. However, she's got a problem with keeping her mouth shut. 

"It's easy to say for you because you're not in my shoes, Momo." Sana's hands are balled, she couldn't help but feel this strong mixture of emotions consume her. Momo on the other hand knew that this is the point when she needs to stop and go to her room, but she has a problem with keeping her mouth shut. 

"You say that Minseok is the problem. But the truth is you could've made better choices, smart choices when we were younger. But you didn't. Did it not occur to you that maybe you're problematic too?" This is when Momo realized that some thoughts should just stay in the drafts. Momo regretted saying those words, she knew that it wasn't right. She knew she shouldn't be blaming the victim. She knew that all those years ago that Sana was the victim of the situation. 

Sana's hands are balled, she finds it hard to conceal her emotions.

Now, Sana has observed something peculiar since the day she and her son moved into Momo's place, and that is the stash of Momo's pills in the topmost right corner of the cupboard. Sana has not only seen Momo sneak and take pills once, but Sana has also seen Momo do it repeatedly every night. She didn't mind it at first but, she caught Momo sneakily take three pills at the same time. This prompted Sana to take a look at the pills the next day and discovered that Momo has been downing sleeping pills. A big dose every night. Sana froze at the information she's discovered but kept quiet. 

Sana immediately walks past Momo to the kitchen cupboard. Even though they didn't discuss about that particular cupboard, Sana knew it was forbidden to touch it or even go near it. Momo's eyes widened when she realized where Sana is going and before she could even say something, Momo can see Sana holding her secret stash.

Momo didn't know what to do. She just stood there, not wanting to take another step closer to Sana. They were just there, more than a couple of meters apart. 

"I'm not the only one with problems here, Hirai. I hope you know that." Says Sana as she reaches inside the container for a pill, popping one inside her mouth before Momo could even say a word. 

"Sana..." Momo trails off, trying to figure out what to say. But Sana didn't want to listen, she just walked towards her friend, pressing the sleeping pills container on Momo's chest with force. Momo almost tipping backward because of how forceful Sana presses the container against her chest. 

"I guess we're both problematic." Whispers Sana as she walks past Momo, leaving the girl utterly shaken. 

* * *

It must have been the sleeping pill that made Sana do it, or maybe it must've been Momo's harsh words. If Sana was going to be honest, she doesn't really know the reason as to why she contacted MInseok at six in the morning to tell him that she will let him see their Son. Same place. Same cafe. Right at the outskirts of Kyoto. She prefers this place, she still wanted to maintain the ambiguity of where she and her son is living. 

Everything was set, Sana planned to let Geon have lunch with his father. Of course, everything was going to be supervised by her, even Geon was excited to see his dad who he hasn't seen for some time. For a while, Sana was happy to see her son become so cheerful and energetic. 

But that's the thing, mothers up to some extent know what's best for their kids. 

Minseok didn't turn up for the lunch date, which didn't surprise Sana. She knew that man would mess up somehow, she knew this would happen. The next challenge for Sana was the task of explaining things to Geon. Geon was silent the whole afternoon, Sana didn't really have a choice but to spend the time with the kid since she already called in sick for work. In the middle of walking and enjoying window shopping at a local mall, Geon finally broke his silence. 

"Eomma, I thought we were going to meet dad? Did something happen?" Geon asks his mother, his eyes conveyed how disappointed he is. Sana couldn't help but just stare, even though she despises Minseok, she can't bear to ruin his name to Geon. Sana placed her hand on the top of Geon's head and ruffled the child's hair playfully. 

"Well, it turns out that daddy is a little busy today." Sana smiles at the kid as they walk through the mall. Geon seems disappointed, his shoulders slumped and his eyes seemed sad. "That's okay! You have eomma with you, remember? I'll always be here whenever you need me." Sana slightly smiles, pulling Geon close to her. This tugging pain in her heart slowly getting unbearable by the second. 

"Eomma look!" Geon pointed out to some shop which Sana didn't really care about. "Can I go inside and take a look?" the child asks. Learning from her past mistake, Sana takes a quick look at the shop to see where the child is going. Sana nods and this sets Geon running towards the shop, checking for god knows what type of item. Sana reaches for her pocket to fish her phone while taking quick glances at the shop where little Geon asked to visit. 

Carefully, Sana types something and then sends it. 

_**To: Song Minseok** _

_What happened today speaks a lot about how much you care for Geon._

_It was a mistake to give you a chance to see him._ _Please be well and_

 _remember_ _that you will_ _only be seeing Geon when it's good for him._

_Not when it's convenient for you._

* * *

The mother and son duo decided to have dinner outside, it was probably because Sana was too annoyed at Momo to have dinner at home. But also, Sana felt like she wasn't spending enough time with her child, she thought eating dinner outside would be nice. 

Momo on the other hand had no idea where the duo was the whole day. That morning, Momo admits that she was terrified to wake up and not see Geon and Sana. In Momo's mind, she thought there was a possibility that Sana had packed her bags. Momo peeked inside the other room and realized their things were still there, a sigh of relief was then followed by a happy trot to the kitchen. 

When both Sana and Geon arrived home, they were welcomed by a nonchalant and calm looking Momo watching some late-night show. Momo looked over to the mother and son duo standing by the door frame, Momo catches a quick glimpse of Sana but decides to turn her attention to the very tired looking Geon. Momo smiles at the sight. 

"You tired?" Momo stands up and walks over to the child, not paying any attention to Sana. Geon nods his head, his eyes almost giving up on him. "Yeah, I figured." Chuckles Momo, running her fingers through Geon's hair.

"Up." Geon says softly as he tries to reach both his arms up to Momo, probably wanting to be held. Sana sees this and she just freezes, she hadn't realized Geon has grown so comfortable with Momo. So close and familiar. Momo leans down to scoop the child, Geon's head effortlessly falling and resting on Momo's shoulder. 

"You must've had a nice day, huh?" Momo laughs as she slowly walks away from Sana. "I was waiting for you to get home, Geon-ah. Auntie bought you some chocolate ice-cream." Momo says softly as she runs her fingers through the child's back.

"I can eat it tomorrow, right?" The child replies softly. 

"Of course. I bought it for you." Momo assures Geon as they both disappear into the room where the mother and son occupies. 

Sana just watched as it all happened, she knew that as of the moment she hates Momo for interfering with family matters. But something in the way how Momo talks to Geon made Sana melt inside. Something in her sparked this joyous feeling she never knew existed. It was as if Sana almost wanted to just forget everything that has happened the night before. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, what do you guys think? How'd you like this update? Please comment down below and share your thoughts!


	6. Chapter 6

There is nothing that Sana cannot do just to live a quiet and peaceful life. For some reason, valid or invalid, Sana feels like everything isn't going according to her plan. She does her best to fix things, to build things, but for some reason, some unknown force would keep on trying to knock everything she's built down. Sana feels as if all the forces both normal and paranormal are ganging up on her. Every time she takes one step of progress, not more than a week later, she'd be bombarded with problems and would be forced to take two steps backward.

_Senseless._

Minatozaki Sana feels as if all her efforts are a waste. Sana feels as if all her efforts to be better do not make any sense because no matter how hard she tries, she ends up being ostracized or shamed. Sana just does not know where to run, Sana feels trapped and suffocated. She often questions herself if all of this trouble will be worth it in the future, she questions herself whether she should just quit while she's still ahead. 

* * *

Nothing much has changed in the old neighborhood where she grew up. Even the annoying old mailbox still stands right outside of her childhood home. Sure, her parents might have added some new plants and rearranged the old patio furniture but still, everything in that place is all too familiar. Sana felt like her feet were increasingly getting heavy as she approached her childhood home, not that she was treated poorly as a child. Sana's concern was more of being ashamed of running away to elope and not contacting her parents for the next five years. 

She stood there, just staring. Sana couldn't bring herself to just shamelessly knock and casually greet her parents like nothing has ever happened. Sana feels this lump form right in the middle of her throat, is it strep? Sana doesn't know. It's probably some guilt-driven anxiety that has built up inside her all these years. 

Sana starts counting backward, starting from ten. She knows doing so wouldn't really deflate the tension built up inside of her but she knows this will ease her from just standing to having the courage to press the doorbell. Her hand reaches for the doorbell, her finger pressing the small white button. 

_Ring._

There's no turning back now. Even the doorbell sound is still the same, her parents didn't even care to subscribe to a new system. It was as if her neighborhood has refused to move forward ever since she left. Sana feels nostalgic, maybe even with some ounce of regret. Inside her head, she kept telling herself how much of an asshole she was for eloping and leaving her family. 

"Who is it?" A calm and collected voice greets her through their gate. 

"Mom, it's me." Sana huffs, she feels as if her heart is being torn to bits. " Your daughter, Sana. I'm back." She adds. 

* * *

It was as if there's this invisible but clearly existing wall between Minatozaki Sana and her parents. Sana's awkwardly seated right across her parents who are currently eyeing her with their might. Are they stoked? Are they examining their only daughter? Sana does not mind if they come closer. Sana just awkwardly shuffling her feet to ease the tension in their patio. Cookies and tea are currently right in front of her, she does not dare to take one even though they're clearly her favorite. 

Mrs. Minatozaki leans down to offer her daughter some of the food. 

"How long has it been?" Mr. Minatozaki finally breaks the silence between the three of them. Sana stared at her father, she feels like they were acting a little strange. Her parents were stone cold. The exact opposite of how they were when she left them for that man. No kisses, no hugs, no inquiry about her current status, nothing. Her parents just want to know how long it has been since she betrayed them. 

"I'm not sure." Sana breathes out, exhausted from the travel, Sana just wanted a peaceful interaction between them. "I stopped counting after the fourth year." Sana answers truthfully. 

"You could've at least contacted us." Mrs. Minatozaki seems wistful, though she hates to show it, Mrs. Minatozaki misses her only daughter. "You did not know what type of hell you put us through." Mrs. Minatozaki tries to hold back her emotions.

"If your son does the exact same thing---" Mr. Minatozaki tries to paint a picture for Sana, however, Sana refuses to listen.

"I would die." Sana looks down at her feet, trying to contain her tears. She can't bear to look at her parents anymore. "If my child did the same thing I did, I would die. No matter how old he gets, he'll still be my baby. I can't bring myself to imagine him running away from me." Sana's fists are balled, she couldn't bear all the tension. 

Silence. The three of them became extremely silent for a few seconds, Sana trying to calm herself down while Mister and Missis Minatozaki thought of the right thing to say. 

"Sana..." Her father calls out to her, this is the first time her father is trying to show her some form of emotion. Sana just looks up, good thing she's able to keep her tears at bay. "As your father, I would like you to know that the past is in the past." He gently tells her what he thinks. 

"We do not know what happened, we have no ounce of a clue where you've been. But as your parents, we would like to look past that." Says Mrs. Minatozaki. "Your father and I have discussed things the moment we knew about your son." She gently says.

"Our grandson, Geon." Mr. Minatozaki looks at his wife as if trying to correct her.

"Yes, our grandson. Geon." Mrs. Minatozaki smiles and nods at her husband. 

"What are you guys talking about?" Asks Sana, she's visibly confused but she also seems to sense that her parents are going to say something she does not approve of. 

"Honey, no matter how much you shake and twist earth, we will still be your parents. You came from us. Now, as parents, all we want is what's best for you. I'm sure you understand this a lot better now that you're a mother yourself." Mrs. Minatozaki gently talks to Sana. 

"I do understand." Says Sana. 

"Now you're young. You're still a kid." Starts Mr. Minatozaki.

"I am an adult." Says Sana, it was as if she's trying to argue with her father.

"You're in your twenties. Trust me, I've experienced far worse things than you." Replies the father immediately, invalidating his daughter's point. "What we're trying to say is, we'd like you to go back and earn a degree. We want you to enter University and have a better life. We'd cover everything. All expenses paid." Says the father.

Though Sana does not admit it, not being able to go to University is one of her biggest regrets. Hearing her father's offer made her want to cry, but then, it was too good to be true. 

"What's the catch?" Sana can't help but ask.

"Well, you know..." Mr. Minatozaki found it hard to tell his daughter the truth. 

"We will pay for your tuition and we'll send you an allowance in exchange for your son." Mrs. Minatozaki finally says the truth. 

"Excuse me?" Sana is completely and utterly distraught at what her mother said. 

"Your mother and I would like you to follow your dream." The father tries to redirect the conversation.

"Okay, what does that have to do with my child? Why are you including him in this conversation?" Sana is understandably confused. 

"This is only for your own good, Sana. As your parents, we would want you to go back to school, earn a degree, meet someone new, and start a new family. We can take care of Geon like he's our own child, we know we can do that. All we want for you is to have a fresh new start, forget about him, and start anew." Says Mrs. Minatozaki proudly, to this, Sana can't help but feel resentment and anger towards her parents. Sana can't believe these words were coming out of their mouths. 

"You're still young. There are plenty of good men out there, you don't have to tell him about your son." Mr. Minatozaki seemed hopeful. 

Sana couldn't help herself from chuckling. "Of all the people I have expected to treat me and my son like garbage, I never expected it would be the two of you." Says Sana. "My son is not some toy I can just give to other people. Even pet owners don't just give their pets to other people. How can you say those things to my face? Do you have no shame?" Sana wants to cry but she knows crying wouldn't help her.

"Thank you for your wonderful offer but it's no. I love my son, he's my life. He's the reason why I wake up and do my best every day. I hope both of you understand what that means." Smiles Sana as she finally stands up proud to show them she does not cower in their presence. "I guess trying to fix our relationship was a mistake." Says Sana as she walks away from her parents. 

* * *

For Hirai Momo, taking care of Geon started off difficult. Thankfully, Momo was able to learn and adapt quickly. 

* * *

That night after dinner, when things seemed quiet and settled, Momo decides to go out and have some fresh air. In some ways, Momo considers herself as an old-timer in the Furui complex, she knows the place like it's the back of her hand. Crazy. Most people don't really last in this place, it's either they stay here for less than a year until things start to get better for them or they get evicted and become the government's problem. Momo considers herself as a special case, Furui complex is her home. It's ugly, but it's still home. 

As Momo turned to a corner at the end of their floor, she's welcomed by none other than Minatozaki Sana, a cigarette between her fingers. Sana leaning against the wall, she seems taken aback. Both of them unable to greet each other formally due to the prior conversation they had about Geon's father. 

"Hey there, Stranger." Momo is left with no choice but to greet her friend. She calmly approaches Sana and then decides to lean on the wall as well. 

"Hey stranger." Chuckles Sana as she slowly tries to hide the stick of cigarette behind her. 

"Oh, you don't have to hide it." Chuckles Momo as he reaches for something in her pocket. A lighter. Sana's eyes immediately catch on to what Momo was about to do. 

"Oh no." Sana reaches for Momo's hand, trying to make her put the lighter back in its place. "I've been here for thirty minutes now, trying to smoke without actually smoking." Sana weakly smiles at Momo. 

"What?" Momo wants to make fun of her friend but then decided to not go through with whatever she's thinking. "Did something happen?" Momo inquires.

"Well, yeah." Smiles Sana. "That's why I'm here, trying to 'smoke', to relieve my stress." Says Sana making air quotes with her fingers.

"Metaphorically smoke." Momo chuckles softly. "That's better than actually smoking." She adds. 

Both of them stared at each other for a few seconds, the silence was deafening, then they took their gazes away and ended up looking at the floor. Awkwardness filled the air, both of them didn't know what to say. 

"Smart." breathes Momo. "How was your day?" Asks Momo.

"Bad." Smiles Sana, she felt defeated. "You know, I visited my parents today." Sana blurts out, she couldn't help herself. If she does not tell anyone what she's feeling inside, she's going to blow up. 

"Oh." Momo's eyebrows furrow. "And how did that go? You haven't seen them in years, I hope it didn't end up badly." 

"Well, let's just say I told them to fuck off." Sana smiles weakly, her eyes watering. Momo pretends to not notice. 

"Yeah?" Chuckles Momo, she then stares at Sana. Sana nods her head like a child, happy with her decision. "Well, whatever your decision is, I got your back." Momo lightly wraps her arm around Sana's shoulder, instinctively Sana goes in for warmth and a hug as well. It was brief but it wasn't awkward, Momo didn't reject her either. For a moment, the two girls shared a moment none of them will forget for the next few days. 


	7. Chapter 7

Ever since Sana and Momo started working in the same gym, there was never a time that their breaks coincided with one another. To both the women, it was never a weird thing. It just kind of happened that they never crossed paths during work. Their workplace isn't a place to gossip and catch up anyway, if they wanted to do that, they can do so in their apartment. 

Two days after Sana's encounter with her parents, work resumed. The morning shift went on smoothly, nothing much happened. As usual, the mid-day shift is always a hassle. During her last shift, things seemed to have calmed down. Though work is never easy with Sana, she's gotten used to the workload. Before going home for dinner though, she needs to check if the break room needs cleaning, which isn't unusual since it gets dirty too. She's supposed to clean it this afternoon but failed to do so because the gym instructors flocked the room, which resulted in a flat out no-go. 

Knocking was a customary thing to do, well, at least for Sana it is, she knocks on doors before entering a room in order to let her presence known. Her ex-husband thought it was a strange thing to do. Sana wasn't met with any form of resistance by the doorknob, so off she went inside, slipping inside the break room like it was nothing. Most of the time the break room is filled with instructors talking and mumbling, this time, however, the room is dimly lit. 

Sana thinks the room is suspiciously too quiet, like, someone was in there with her but is just trying to keep quiet. Sana just shakes the thought out of her head, she starts sweeping the floor when all of a sudden, the communal cabinet's door creaks. Sana turns her attention to the almost opened cabinet door. She walks towards the cabinet, gathering all her courage in her body to face whatever it is that's in there. 

Does Sana think it's some ghost? Hell no. Sana is more afraid of stray cats, those little rabies filled meat bags scare the hell out of her. Slowly, comically almost, she walks towards the human-sized cabinet.

"I swear to god if you're a stray cat I will call cat-pound on you." Sana takes a fighting position as if cats are dangerous enough to kill her. "Cat pound? Dog pound? Whatever pound that will take you, I'll call it." Sana is scared, she can admit that. Her job does not pay her enough to make her battle stray cats. Just as she was about to stab the cabinet with her broom she hears a giggle from the cabinet. 

"Oh god. I can't take this anymore." A young woman emerges from inside the cabinet, only wearing a bra and her leggings. This takes Sana aback, she almost falls backward but thankfully she isn't that clumsy. The young girl laughs at Sana, unashamed that she's only wearing a bra right in front of a complete stranger. "You're hilarious by the way." Laughs the younger girl. 

Sana couldn't help but just stare, a half-naked girl laughing at her is a shocking sight for sure but this isn't the sight that is confusing her more. 

"My name is Yuzu by the way." The younger girl introduces herself, not really reaching her hand out for a handshake. Sana just stares at the girl.

"I'm---" Sana was about to introduce herself but got cut off.

"Sana, I know. I know your name is Sana. My friend here told me who you are." Yuzu gestures at the girl behind her. 

Momo just stared at Sana, she seems nonchalant about the encounter while Sana is the exact opposite. Sana knew what just happened, she knew what she just walked in on. She wasn't born yesterday, and though it may sound petty, Sana was happy to abruptly stop them. She knows that much. But one question remained inside Sana's head, and that is why does she feel this strong sense of bitterness towards the two, especially Momo. 

* * *

Though it may seem like a child knows so little and a child does not understand complicated concepts, it would shock adults how little details actually catch a kid's attention. Geon is a cautious kid, almost too cautious for his age. It's amazing how much of an eagle-eye he is for his age. His own mother does not know this, even Momo hasn't noticed this since he's a relatively normal kid. 

Sana has always thought that she's the slickest person on this entire planet, however, to her dismay, she's the quite opposite. In reality, she's far from smooth, she wears her heart on her sleeve which makes her an easy person to read. When she's under pressure? People notice it. When she's sad? People notice. Everyone knows when she's going through something, including little Geon. 

There have been nights when Sana thought she's put the child to bed, but without her knowing, little Geon slipped out of their room to get a glass of water in the kitchen. It was the middle of the night and the apartment was totally quiet, except for Sana sniffling, tears running down her cheeks. The moment the child saw this, he wanted to run towards her and hug her. But then, he stopped just in time to notice what was really happening. 

_His mother counting money._

Geon has never seen his mother like this before since things were always provided for them in Korea. Though he wasn't taught economics, Geon knew the simple concept of not having enough money. The child connected the dots when he sees his mother carefully counting loose change while quietly sniffling. It broke his little heart seeing his mother like that, he knew he had to do something. 

_But what can a child do?_

* * *

When the clock would strike twelve, it's lunchtime in Rakuo Elementary School. Selected volunteers from various sections would head to the ground floor and collect their lunch rations for the day. Most of the time, lunchtime would be the joyous time for kids to mingle, however, little Geon has proven it's difficult for a child like him to fit in and talk to his peers because of the following reasons; First, he doesn't know that much Nihonggo, Second, he's a shy boy who can't understand kids his age. 

So at lunchtime, Mrs. Ito would usually have him sit and eat his lunch at the teacher's table. Though most teachers wouldn't allow this, Mrs. Ito is marvelously progressive and nice. Besides, it wasn't only Geon's lack of Nihonggo that made her want the child to join her. She made the child join her for lunch because of another reason, and that is because the child can't pay lunch fees on time. 

It's been two months since the school year has started he consecutively hasn't paid on time for the past two months. Though the child's mother would pay probably a week later, by then, the child would be rendered without lunch for a week. Mrs. Ito knew it wasn't neglected because he always had snacks in his backpack, he seemed healthy, he's well-groomed. Mrs. Ito's concern is only about his unpaid lunch.

"Geon, can you come here for a second?" Mrs. Ito calls the child's name softly. Geon though usually silent and reserved in class, seemed attentive when someone calls his name. The child walks towards the teacher. "Teacher wants you to give this to your mom, is that understood?" She hands Geon a letter containing a reminder about the lunch payment. 

Geon gave Mrs. Ito a concerned look, which worried the teacher. She's never seen the child so confused. " Am I in trouble?" Geon asked, his lip quivering in fear. 

"No, darling. Of course you're not in trouble." The teacher smiled at Geon, giving the child some sort of relief. "Just give it to your mummy so that you can enjoy lunch with your friend, does that sound doable?" The teacher asks Geon, the child nods as he smiles. 

* * *

Geon was smarter than that, in his head, his Auntie Momo is there. 

"Why do I have to go directly to mom when I have auntie Momo?" He whispers to himself. 

* * *

That afternoon, he was surprised to see his auntie Momo pick him up from school. Of course, Momo had some work so she decided to take the kid with her to the gym to do some work for a couple of hours before going home.

"What's this?" Momo asks Geon the moment he handed her the letter. 

"The teacher said to give it to my guardian." the child nonchalantly replies as he waits for Momo to open the letter. 

"Kiddo, I'm sure she meant your mother. Not me." Momo was about to put the letter inside her gym bag when Geon tugged her hand and pleaded to not involve her mother in this. Momo couldn't help but feel a cloud of confusion grow behind her. "Kid, what the heck are you talking about?" Momo kneels down to lightly squeeze the kid, probably to give him some kind of warmth. That was when Geon pouted and Momo knew that something was up.

Before heading home, Momo decided that it was better to take Geon to the nearest convenience to buy him his favorite ice cream to make the child better. She also thought that maybe if she bribed him, he would open up more and give her answers. She was right, the child did open. That was when Geon told her about not being able to pay lunch fees on time and not wanting his mother to know anything about it because he knows she does not have money. Though Momo isn't a softie, what the kid told her made her heart ache a little. 

"You're crazy, you know that right?" Momo chuckles as she and Geon walk along the streets of Kyoto, their hands entwined for safety.

"I'm telling mom you called me crazy." Geon sticks his tongue out.

"And I'll tell your mom you've been smooching off of Mrs.Ito's bento for the past two days." Momo snaps back, Geon can't help but give Momo the dirty look. "Do you know how bad your mom would feel if she knew about that? You silly kid. Don't you ever do that again, is that understood?" Momo asks Geon.

"You're not the boss of me!" Geon sticks his tongue out. 

"Okay then, if that's the case then I'll tell your mom you smooched off of Mrs.Ito's bento, imagine how sad she'd get if she ever heard that?" Momo jokingly threatens the child, and for some reason, Geon's facial expression drastically changed. 

"I just didn't want to bother my mom, that's all." Geon looks downcast, not wanting his aunt Momo to see him become sad. Momo notices this and just shrugs.

"Geon-ah, look, your ice cream is melting off of your hand." Momo distracts him, amazingly, the child notices this too and starts licking his cone as if his life depended on it. Momo couldn't help but chuckle. "Geon-ah." She calls his attention, to this, he looks up to her. He seems unbothered. "Don't grow up too fast, kid." Momo gently pats the top of the child's head, as if telling him that everything is going to be alright. 

* * *

"Do you think there's a reason why he didn't tell me?" Sana seems heartbroken at the fact that her son never told her anything about the lunch fees. Momo even though she couldn't look at Sana directly for the past few days because of their encounter at the breakroom, had to finally put a stop to their ignoring-fiasco. Though it was difficult to approach Sana at first, Momo had to have some balls to discuss important matters about Geon. 

"Well, uh, you know." At first, Momo finds it difficult to talk in front of Sana. "He just did not want you to worry too much, that's all." Momo finally crafts a decent statement to make Sana feel better. 

"Did he tell you all of this?" Sana asks, curious as to why her son chose to tell Momo this problem.

Their apartment is silent, little Geon had gone to bed and it was thirty minutes past eleven in the evening. The two women are the only ones in the kitchen discussing the lunch fees. 

"Look, Sana. It's okay." Momo tries to console her for forgetting to pay. 

"It's not though." Sana's voice starts to quiver. Sana then buries her face on her palms, frustrated at herself for forgetting to pay. "How could I let this happen? I'm never like this, Momo. Never." Sana shakes her head in disappointment. 

"Exactly." Momo couldn't help but just reach for Sana's hand, holding it to make Sana quiet down a little. Momo didn't want Geon to wake up again and hear his mom crying. "You're an amazing mother, don't you know that? I had a pet parrot once and I had to give it to my friend because I always forgot to feed it. I'm so much worse than you." Momo tries to smile to make Sana feel a little at ease. 

"You think so?" Sana asks Momo, though it may seem to ask such a question, Momo knows that Sana only needs reassurance. 

"Yes, I think you're an amazing mother." Smiles Momo as she proceeds to slightly squeeze Sana's hand. "Are we good now?" Asks Momo. The apartment became silent for a few seconds, which in Momo's head isn't a good sign. 

"Momoring." Sana calls her attention, finally breaking the deafening silence. "I need you to be honest with me." Sana adds.

Now, Momo is a smart girl and she knows when to engage and when to not engage. She abruptly stands up, letting go of Sana's hand in the process. 

"I have to go now." Momo declares.

"But I haven't even said anything." Says Sana, quite disappointed at the sudden shift of Momo's mood. 

"I'm sleepy." Says Momo as she walks away from the kitchen table. "Good night." Momo finally says before entering her room, leaving Sana all by herself in the kitchen.

Sana always knew that Momo has problems with being avoidant. Momo also knew that Sana had problems with not being able to take hints and not being able to filter her words. But that night, if Momo hadn't cut off Sana abruptly, Sana would've asked her about their encounter in the breakroom. 

**Author's Note:**

> What do you think? Please comment down below!


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